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Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines an abbreviation as “a shortened form of a written word or phrase used in place of the whole”3 (eg, Dr for doctor, US for United States, dB for decibel). An acronym is “formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term”3(eg, ANCOVA for analysis of covariance). Acronyms are pronounced as words.

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